Wednesday 30 October 2019, 01:05

Joeys bounce back to deny Hungary

  • Australia comeback denies Hungary first win

  • Joeys’ dominance finally rewarded in second half

  • Both teams will likely need to win their final Group B matches

Australia came two goals down to secure a deserved 2-2 draw against Hungary as both teams kept their hopes of progressing alive in Goiania on Tuesday. Hungary went ahead against the run of play with a two-goal salvo inside six first-half minutes, while Australia finally regained parity with their own quickfire double with 16 minutes remaining. Hungary seemed on track for a first win since 1985, their last appearance in the tournament, but Australia’s dominance in possession eventually paid dividends with Caleb Watts’ equaliser.

Australia [[flag-aus-xs]]

Despite their late revival, Australia enjoyed little luck on the night, hitting the frame of the goal on two occasions, via Noah Botic and Ryan Teague, and having two goals ruled out for offside. The Joeys dominated the ball from the outset only to concede a goal from Hungary’s first set-piece and then from a VAR-awarded handball. They kept their nerve, however, to continually find space out wide and in the pockets, creating goalscoring chances in the process.

Hungary [[flag-hun-xs]]

Though failing to hang on for all three points, Hungary will be satisfied with a resilient performance that secured their first point at the tournament for 34 years. A strong showing from their central defenders proved pivotal under constant threat from Australia’s crossing and short-passing. The result keeps Hungary’s hopes alive although they will likely need a win in their final Group B outing against Ecuador.

Up next

1 November

Group B

[[flag-aus-xs]] Australia-Nigeria [[flag-nga-xs]] (Brasilia/Gama, 17:00 local time) [[flag-hun-xs]] Hungary-Ecuador [[flag-ecu-xs]] (Goiania/Olimpico, 17:00 local local)